Scenes from the Passion: Late
- Artist: George Shaw
- Date: 2002
- Medium: Enamel paint on board
- Dimensions: support: ena
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “Scenes from the Passion: Late” by George Shaw. It shows a derelict row of grey garage units set in a semi‑rural landscape. The trees behind them are so dense that they almost swallow the light, letting only a few shafts of sun reach the tops of the shrubs. In front, a muddy track snakes forward to a vanishing point, giving a sense of depth that pulls you into the scene.
The base of the doors is littered with patchy grass and weeds, telling you the place has been abandoned for some time. Piles of copper‑tinged leaves cling to the doors and spill onto the track, marking the late autumn season and perhaps the late hour of the day. The foliage shifts from dark green up through orange and yellow to a deep reddish‑brown at the highest branches, while leafless twigs and shrubs cast pale silhouettes against a beige sky.
Some doors are missing, leaving dark holes, while one is raised at half‑mast, exposing a stark black interior that throws thick shadows over the grass. The graffiti‑stained metal walls and the panels of the nearest unit add a gritty texture.
Shaw’s choice of Humbrol Airfix enamel paint gives the piece a glossy, almost photographic quality, allowing the intricate detail to gleam. This technique echoes the realism of pre‑Raphaelites like John Everett Millais. The title alludes to the biblical Passion, yet the image feels more like a quiet, nostalgic memory of a childhood neighbourhood, full of quiet isolation and melancholy.
See it in person
Scenes from the Passion: Late is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
